Flatbread Pizzas with Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Spinach

These days I'm on a mission to use up the things I've thrown in my freezer. We had three bags with one or two flatbreads in them leftover from my recent love of the grilled chicken Caesar flatbreads. I saw a recipe for 5-Minute Flatbread Pizza with Prosciutto, Arugula, and Mozzarella in my blog reader and decided to combine that recipe with the always-delectable Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Spinach Sandwich.

The result was positively delicious. I love revisiting favorite recipes but it's also great to reinvent them to use up ingredients. When I make the grilled chicken caesar flatbreads I spread butter on the bread before I grill it. Everything is better with butter and it imparts such an amazing flavor that I decided to do that with these. The roasted tomatoes are always delicious and you can't go wrong with melty fresh mozzarella.

We really enjoyed these and I can't wait to make them again.

Flatbread Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Spinach
Inspired by Serious Eats and Kate's Recipe Box

1lb plum tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Thyme sprigs, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spreadable butter
4 flatbread pita rounds, whole wheat or regular
8oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

Heat oven to 400F degrees. Lay tomatoes, cut side up, in a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Roast for 30-45 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to cool and then smash with a potato masher. If you don't like tomato skins, remove the skin after smashing.

In a small mixing bowl, dress the spinach with some extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a 12-inch skillet or a grill pan over medium heat until hot. Spread some butter over both sides of each flatbread. Add the flatbread to the skillet or grill pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and then immediately top with the cheese and tomatoes. Cover and cook until the cheese starts to melt.

Slide the pita out, place on a serving plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batches. Top pizzas with the dressed spinach and cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

California Pizza Kitchen's Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

You all know how much I love a good chopped salad. I've been trying to do one salad a week in the summer, so as soon as I saw this California Pizza Kitchen's Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad on Lauren's Latest Facebook page I knew I had to make it ASAP.

This is one awesome salad. Awesome. I loved everything about it - the tang of the red onion and BBQ sauce mixed with the cool creaminess of the ranch dressing and avocado. The basil (and I'm sure the cilantro, too, if I had remembered to ask SP to buy it) added complexity to the romaine. I love the pop of corn kernels in salad and the black beans were a great way to add protein and a slight creaminess. And you can never go wrong with fresh tomatoes this time of year. Everything came together beautifully and I wished the bowl had been twice as big.

I love that Baby Girl eats salad now. She snacked on all the ingredients as I was chopping them up and then chowed down on her portion. This was a great weeknight meal. I was able to grill the chicken during the day so I didn't even have to turn on the stove or dirty a pot/pan at dinnertime.

California Pizza Kitchen's Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
Slightly modified from Lauren’s Latest

2-3 Romaine hearts, chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup rinsed and drained black beans
1 cup drained sweet corn
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing, such as Hidden Valley
1 large tomato, diced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 leftover grilled chicken breasts, chilled and diced
1/4-1/2 cup prepared BBQ sauce*

In a large bowl, combine lettuce with the basil, cilantro, black beans, corn, red onion and cheese. Toss with ranch dressing (just enough to coat) and divide between serving bowls. Place diced tomatoes around the edges of each bowl, top with avocado slices and diced grilled chicken. Drizzle BBQ sauce over top the whole thing and serve.

*If you didn't grill your chicken with BBQ sauce, dice cooled chicken breast, toss in a little BBQ sauce, place on salad and drizzle with more sauce.

Pasta with Bacon and White Beans

My friend Cassie recently posted this recipe for Pasta with Chicken, Bacon and White Beans. I used to think beans and pasta were an odd combination but now I know better. Since I already had two other chicken dishes on my weekly menu I decided to just omit the chicken from her recipe.

SP thought I'd already made this dish. He was thinking about this pasta with sausage, white beans and mascarpone, which is very similar. Needless to say this was a big hit at our house. Baby Girl was sneaking beans out of the strainer as I was cooking and anything with pasta is always a hit.

Since SP didn't need lunch the next day I only used 1/2 lb of pasta but kept the rest of the ingredient amounts the same. It was plenty of food for both of us, especially with a veggie side. I happened to have 8oz of campanelle pasta in the pantry so that's what I used, but any short-cut pasta is fine. I have both rosemary and basil growing in my backyard, but my basil plant is out of control so I subbed basil for the rosemary. Either would work great. Even thyme would be delicious. This is a great pantry meal. Thanks Cassie!

Pasta with Bacon and White Beans
Modified from Cassie Craves

1/2 pound penne or other short pasta
6 slices bacon, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cannellini beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the garlic and beans; stir for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and half and half. Cook until thickened. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Off heat add the Parmesan cheese and basil. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

American Macaroni Salad

We invited my mother-in-law over for a belated July 4th celebration dinner the Saturday after the holiday. I was all set to make my creamy macaroni salad when I realized my carrots were moldy. Since it's one of the only veggie ingredients in the dish I knew I needed to find a different recipe. A quick Google search for macaroni salad brought up this American Macaroni Salad from the folks at the Food Network Kitchens.

As much as we all enjoy the other macaroni salad I often make, this was a great alternative. I had to make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I loved the addition of the tomato, something I wouldn't have thought to add. The mixture of flavors from the mayo, dry mustard, sour cream and lemon juice was perfect. I only made a half order and we polished it off that night. I can't wait to make this one again.

American Macaroni Salad
Modified from Food Network Kitchens

1/2 pound elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained
2 hard-cooked large eggs, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, drained
1/2 cup diced vine-ripened tomato
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl combine the macaroni, eggs, celery, onion, tomato and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, dry mustard, lemon juice, sour cream, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Ham, Brie, Marmalade and Arugula Pressed Sandwich

I saw these Ham, Brie, Marmalade and Arugula Pressed Sandwiches on my friend Jaida's meal plan recently and was intrigued. I love all the ingredients but wondered how the marmalade would work with everything else. After Jaida posted about them and raved I knew I had to make them.

This was a great sandwich but I found the Dijon to be a bit overwhelming. I've decreased the amount and add some mayo to counteract that tartness. Baby Girl was a big fan even with the "spicy" mustard.

I don't know if anyone else has this problem but I have no luck with arugula these days. My store sells it in plastic bags that trap moisture and ruin the arugula before I can eat it. The day after SP brought the bag home the arugula was wilted and slimy. I had even removed it from the bag and wrapped it in paper towels but I guess the time it spent in the bag had set the spoiling process in motion. I was able to salvage a few pieces for this sandwich but next time I'll use spinach instead.

Ham, Brie, Marmalade and Arugula Pressed Sandwich
As seen on the Kitchn

8 slices rustic country bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons mayo
8 ounces brie, cut into slices
Sliced cooked ham, about 16 slices
Freshly-ground pepper
4 tablespoons orange marmalade
Cooking spray
1 cup arugula

Spread four slices of bread with 1/2 teaspoon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon mayo each. Layer each piece of bread with 3 slices of Brie, 4 slices ham, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Spread the each of the remaining slices of bread with 1 tablespoon of marmalade and place each slice marmalade-side-down on top of the sandwich.

Spray both sides of each sandwich with cooking spray. Set the sandwiches in a panini grill set on high and cook until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted, about 5 minutes (depending on your machine). When finished cooking, remove the tops of each sandwich and add 1/4 cup arugula on top. Put back together, cut in half, and serve warm.